Dragon's Soul
by DragonsSoulGuy
Summary: It's been a long five-hundred years since the adventures of Goku and his friends. Their legends have been lost to time, becoming nothing more than a whisper in the wind, known only to a few of the most ancient of beings. This is the story of a new band of warriors, rising to fight back the evils threatening to consume the earth and her peoples.
1. A New Day Begins!

As the sun sunk lazily into the horizon, it cascaded an endless sea of rolling waves with shades of brilliant, glittering orange. At the center of those gentle tides, an unassuming island sat above the depths. It was absolutely diminutive, having only just enough room to fit three palm trees and a two-story house. It looked just as shanty and ancient as the endless blue that shifted around it. It's old frame and peeling pink paint suggested countless repairs and renovations. It stood the test of time and the elements, however, the red lettering across it's walls proudly declaring it as the _'KAME HOUSE'_.

A salty-scented sea breeze whipped around the old structure, making the old tin weathercock atop it's roof dance wildly. The palm trees swayed and the grass was tugged every direction at the wind's passing. A particularly powerful gust blew away a few puffs of sand from the island's humble beach, carrying the dust away to part's unknown, making room for two young men.

They faced each other, neither of them carrying even the faintest sliver of fear or hesitation. Both were well built, bodies rippling with muscle, testaments to their lives discipline and training. The first man stepped forward, his bare feet shifting the sands below. The sweet-smelling sea breeze tousled his short, cleanly cut chestnut hair. His smirking face showed a sort of playfulness, but his eyes were hard and serious as stone.

"Don't go crying when I pound your face in, Raspin."

Across from him, the man named Raspin folded his arms against his bare chest and smiled even wider. He was clean-shaven, but his pitch black hair was as spiked and wild as could be. His grin flashed with a cocktail of bemusement and barely-restrained excitement.

"I'd take my own advice if I were you, Kash."

Raspin took on a heavily defensive martial arts stance. One foot held behind the other, his right arm slanted to the ground and the other cocked back. Kash adopted the same pose, leaving no doubt as to their shared tutelage under the turtle style. Another whispering wind swept by, but after that, only the waves gently lapping at the shore and the faint cry of a distant gull could be heard. The tension hung between them like a bomb, the silent hiss of a lit fuse steadily counting until the detonation.

Then, with a thundering bang, it went off.

The two warriors left plumes of sand in their wake. They dashed forward at speeds any untrained eye couldn't hope to follow. Their fists collided roughly, shooting waves of pain up each one's arm. But both remained beaming like two kids at the playground. Kame House's speck of an island was far too small a battleground for fighters of their caliber. They took a few yards off the ground in an impressive display of flight, each circling around the circumference of the island countless times as their battle picked up in earnest.

The very waters beneath them were disturbed under the shock-wave of their blows. A punch blocked by Kash's knee forced a massive wave to go rolling in all directions. A roundhouse Raspin ducked under sent a rain of sea spray into the air. When both men threw an elbow at their opponent at once, a small whirlpool stirred the salty brine beneath them. After several minutes of trading titanic blows, the two broke away from each other. Both looked battered and beaten, but far from defeated.

"Not bad, Raspin. You've improved… just a bit." Kash chuckled, rubbing his bruised jaw.

"Back at ya. You're a _little_ less of a wimp, I guess."

Kash floated backwards, the competitive fire in his eyes burning like an exploding star. He held back two hands, cupping them together. Faintly, a sapphire light began burning between his palms.

"Why don't we settle this?"

Raspin returned the gesture, in both the cocky smirk and the posture for the technique.

"Now we're talking… lets rock!"

Low, throaty roars erupted from both men as they gathered up every last drop of power from their bodies. The deep blue light shot through the gap between each of their clenched fingers, and a milky-white aura consumed both their bodies.

" _Ka..._ "

" _Me..._ "

" _Ha..._ "

" _Me..._ "

" ** _HAAAA!_** "

The beams flew closer like two warring dragons, and met with all the force that such a clash would carry. The water below, the island some distance away, and even the sky above began glowing faintly with the same color as their white-blue beams. They struggled back and forth, each gaining on the other before being momentarily pushed back in turn. Neither could surmount the other in terms of raw strength, but both were equally bullheaded. Surrender wasn't an option on the table for either.

The stalemate went on for a full minute, but felt like a grueling hour for both warriors. Even as both Kash and Raspin began dripping with sweat and grunting from exertion, not an inch of ground was given by either party. The ocean below their hovering feet began parting, the sheer force enough to start boiling the sea.

Eventually, things came to a head, in spite of both's best efforts. Finally unable to keep up the strain, the fighters released their hold on their beams at once, leading to a violent explosion. Mixed sparks of their energy flew every which way. Some landed safely in the ocean. Others violently dusted seabeds and sunken rocks. When the light had at last faded and the wind carried away the black smoke hanging between them, the two warriors were left staring dumbly at Kame House.

Or what was left of it, at any rate.

"D-did that just…?" Kash almost whimpered.

"Please… no…" Raspin gulped.

They both looked utterly and thoroughly defeated, the grit they boasted to each other gone with the tide. The two floated limply back to the island, surveying the egregious damage their sparring match had inflicted. A stray fragment of energy had flown straight through the second story, causing it to collapse and crush the rest of the house.

"Daaaaamn!" Raspin cried. He collapsed onto both knees, yanking at his wild locks of hair, "What are we gonna do, Kash?!"

"I… I'll think of something, don't worry!" Kash stammered, frantically pacing back and forth, bare feet kicking up puffs of sand.

"Y-you'd better! This is your fault anyway!" Raspin cried, aiming an accusatory finger Kash's way.

"My fault?! How the hell is this crap my fault?!"

"You wouldn't give up during the beam struggle!"

"Neither did you!"

"You're supposed to be the smart one!" Raspin retorted, angrily kicking at the sand below.

Rolling his eyes, Kash, nervously tapped a fist against one of the island's trio of palm tress.

"A-alright, look. Its won't be that hard if we go at full speed. We just need to go pick up some supplies and work our asses off for a few days. If we're lucky, master won't get back from his vacation until we're finished."

The lines of worry still crested his face, but Raspin managed to crack an uneasy smile. He gave Kash a thumbs up in approval.

"Yeah, great idea, Kash!"

"Yeah, Kash. That's a pretty solid plan."

Raspin and Kash went in for a high five, but stopped mid-swing as they at last processed a third voice cutting into their nefarious scheming. They both looked down with terror in their eyes, which burst all the wider as their deepest, most bone-chilling fear became a reality.

An old midget of a monk stood before them. He wore traditional orange and yellow robes, loosely fitting around his small and bony body. His thick gray mustache furrowed in tune with his frown. And while his glare remained unseen under the thick lens of his sunglasses, both boys could practically feel the judgment and disappointment aimed at them.

"M-m-m-master Krillin! Y-you're back early!" Raspin stuttered, the fear evident on his aghast face.

"Really? I didn't notice." the monk spat bitterly, his head swiveling over to the wreckage of his home, "I see you fellas did some redecorating while I was gone..."

"We're so, so sorry Master!" Kash gasped in desperation, "We went overboard during a spar! We swear we'll rebuild it, good as new!"

"Yeah! Thats a promise!" Raspin cried in quick agreement.

With the oaken cane in his hand, Krillin gave each of the boys a light tap on the head. It looked so gentle that a newborn kitten could've shrugged it off with no problem – but the force it carried buried both of them halfway into the sand with quickly developing lumps.

As his two students dug their way out of their sandy graves, Krillin hobbled his way over to the wreckage. Pulling the fridge and a few other choice items out from the wreckage, the monk set up a hammock between two of of the palm trees and pulled out a tall can of beer, looking not too terribly distraught from his destroyed abode all the while.

The diminutive master shrugged off the heavy purple turtle shell on his back, the very island quivering under it's weight as it embedded itself in the sandy earth. Cracking open the can, he threw himself into the hammock and took a long sip.

"Well, better get to work boys. Kame House won't fix itself." he said, raising up his sun glasses to watch his two pupils dust themselves off.

"Yes, Master Krillin… we're so sorry..." the two defeated youths yielded and bowed at once, the goosebumps already sprouting from their unkempt heads of hair.

Krillin sighed wearily and took another gulp of beer. Wiping the foam from his mustache, he wagged his free pointer finger towards the boys, "Oh. As punishment… no using your ki while you fix it."

* * *

The training the turtle school put it's pupils through was brutal to say the least. Out swimming sea dragons. Pushing gargantuan boulders across entire fields. Delivering milk across an entire county in less than a half-hour, restarting if so much as a scratch ended up on even one of the bottles. All sorts of absurd challenges meant to break the student's mental and physical limits, and all performed with a weighted shell upon the back, which gradually increased in density upon each hurtle successfully conquered.

And yet, through all of that, Kash and Raspin weren't bound completely to the baseline of their muscles. They utilized their ki, their inner life force, to enforce their bodies and push themselves far beyond the physical limits of their bodies.

In that regard, having to rebuild an entire two-story home by hand wasn't particularly rigorous, even under the summer sun's brutal rays. What was truly mind-numbing to Raspin was how _slow_ the entire process was taking without the boon of mustering up even a sliver of energy.

As usual, their Master Krillin was lazing about in his hammock, reading some sort of magazine all about vintage cars. Kash was carefully nailing in the final boards on the house's left wall, while Raspin busied himself by sawing a few long boards into a proper size not but a few feet away. As he split his fifth board in half, he heard his stomach growl in protest.

Raspin let out a whine unbecoming of a manly fighter. His stomach's voracious fangs ripped at him from the inside, demanding he give into his hunger. If only he could finished up just a tad bit sooner, he could take lunch.

He raised his ki by the most paltry of amounts. Grinning like a scoundrel, he prepared to saw apart another board at top speed.

"No ki, Raspin!" Krillin cried from his hammock.

"Yes, master." the dejected student grumbled, banishing his energy and returned to work, "Damn. We could've been done a week ago if we could use even just a _teensy_ bit of our ki."

"Thats just the nature of the punishment, Raspin." Kash groaned irritably, "Just hope Master Krillin hopes we've learned our lesson soon so we can finish this thing up fast. We need to ramp up our training after this… we'll already be making up for lost time as it is."

"Sorry for bitching. Just a little hungry, I guess." the black-haired man said, cradling his empty belly with his free hand, "But whats the hell is happening that we've gotta ramp up our training for?"

There was a moment of stunned silence. Staring wide-eyed at Raspin, Kash had refrain from smacking him over his empty noggin with his hammer.

"Are you kidding, Raspin?! Did you hit your head or something?"

"Yeah, I got conked in the dome pretty hard by a board two days ago. But I don't see how that-"

"The World Martial Arts Tournament! Duh." Kash interrupted Raspin, brandishing his ball-peen hammer down with the same amount of conviction a judge would use with a gavel, "I can't believe you forgot! The preliminaries start six months from now."

"Ahh, the World Martial Arts Tournament. That sure takes me back."

Raspin and Kash dropped their tools, shocked to find their master sitting casually between them with a lit tabaco pipe pinched between his lips. Even with neither using ki to bolster their senses, the fact the tiny old monk slipped between them so casually was still an astounding feat.

"Oh. T hats right! You've said you've participated in them a few times before, right Master Krillin?" Kash asked with bubbles in his tone. He grinned brightly, like a child expecting a riveting story from his grandfather.

"In my younger years." Krillin explained evenly, taking a drag on his pipe and blowing out a puffy ring of smoke, "Never did make it to the finals. I probably could've easily taken home the champion title if I had waited till all the competition had all retired… but the whole thing had basically became a giant showboat to stroke the reigning champ's ego for a good twenty years. By the time he hung up his belt, I more-or-less lost interest in the whole thing."

"Right. That's why we should be pumped for this next one! The monks are finally back in charge of the whole operation. Now, it'll actually be a real competition to see who the best fighter on the planet is!" Kash cheered, excitedly pumping his fist in the air.

Raspin didn't seem impressed. He casually leaned against the table he was using to saw boards, "Pfft. This planet? Who cares who the strongest on this dirtball is? All the strongest fighters are aiming higher."

Krillin removed his pipe, cockin a brow, "Hehehe. So you have your eyes set on something a bit more prestigious?"

"Don't tell me," Kash narrowed a sour gaze at his boneheaded friend, "The Milky Way Championship?"

"Thats just a stepping stone." Raspin boasted, "I'm gonna win the King of the Universe Tournament."

Kash looked absolutely done with Raspin's nonsense. Krillin, on the other hand, just smiled warmly under his deep-gray facial hair, sunlight dancing across the lenses of his shades.

"Well, champ, whadya say to a little lunch?"

The wrinkled monk pulled out a capsule from his pocket, making both hungry boys water at the mouth. Lobbing it away, the capsule burst open, a large fridge appearing. Krillin hobbled over, opening it up to see what they had stored… only to find a few empty cans and used dishes.

Immediately, Kash and Krillin turned their heads to a sheepish Raspin.

"S-sorry. I might've had a lil' midnight snack…"

Krillin used one hand to move up his glasses; he used the other to rub where the theoretical bridge of his nose would be, "Urgh. For the love- look, I think you've both learned your lesson. Kash, why don't you power up and finished up the house? Raspin… you can go buy us some more groceries."

Raspin's nervous smile spiraled into a tight frown, "What? Why do I have to do the shopping?"

"Because you hate it… but a real man makes up for his mistakes, doesn't he? You wouldn't let poor Kash and I starve, would you?"

Raspin was unable to read his master with the thick mustache and large shades blocking his face. It only took one look to see Kash wasn't amused, on the other hand. Sighing, Raspin raised both hands in a show of surrender.

"Fine, fine. Let me grab my pack. I keep all my capsules in there." Raspin grumbled, folding both hands behind his head and marching into the incomplete home.

"Ah, Raspin. I've known you for the good part of decade, and I still can't fathom what goes in that thick skull of yours." Kash found himself muttering in frustration, "Guys stubborn, if nothing else."

A knowing smile played across Krillin's cheeks. He gently bowed his head, folding both arms behind his back.

"Yep. A stubborn bastard, right down to the core. He doesn't know his place, and he never knows when to quit… but if you ask me, that's one of the best qualities a fighter can have."

Raspin was in his still unfinished room, not hearing his master and fellow student's hushed words. He dug through his pack, making absolutely sure everything when it's proper place. When he was satisfied, he peaked towards the back, checking his pack's most secure pocket - and when he saw that familiar orange glow, a certain warmth filled his heart.

Throwing the pack over his shoulders, he took off through the hole in the wall, blasting over the sea with the wind at his back.

* * *

When Raspin was young, he found nothing as deep, mysterious, and beautiful as the ocean. Yet he soared above the waves, he saw them steadily degrade. Every time he soared above polluted waves, nature seemed much more fragile. As he rocketed to the city along the shoreline, the crystal blue went all the more cloudy and murky.

All the life and ki he could sense playing happily below the waves steadily petered out. Trash and gunk skimmed along the dirtied surface, and Raspin did his best not to let the sorry site get him down. He flew into the city, slowing down a good bit.

He floated above the docks, carefully avoiding the hovercarts hauling cargo around from ships to warehouses and back to ships. He landed atop one of the warehouses, staring towards the urban sprawl of the city and thinking it had it's own sort of beauty. Hectic and messy, complete averse to the serene crawl of nature. He knew each had their own perks and appeals, but his life of training and pleasure on his master's island was far more his speed.

Watching hovercars zip through the urban center, he lost track of time for a few long seconds. That was all that it took for someone to get on his case. A burly worker fitted in his safety gear pulled up next to Raspin in his hovering forklift, shaking a fist out from the driver's seat.

"Hey! Get outta here, you punk!"

Smiling cheekily, Raspin just then realized he was technically trespassing. Chuckling, he jumped from the top of the warehouse and flew backwards above the traffic of the city, weaving between dome-shaped roofs and waving goodbye to the dour worker all the while.

His course was abruptly halted as he felt his back hit another floating figure. He spun around midair, instantly meeting the unmistakable insignia printed on a thick white chest plate.

A galactic patrolman.

"H-how ya doin', officer?" Raspin sheepishly asked, raising one hand in a sign of peace.

The patrolman folded his beefy arms over his chest. And while his face was concealed underneath a white helmet, Raspin could easily imagine a sour frown behind the patrolman's orange visor.

"Flight is off limits to civilians in urban sectors." the officer explained steadily. From his expression, it sounded like he assumed the boy before him was just an ignorant hillbilly more than a willful violator of the law, "If you're itching to zip around, buy a ticket and move to a frontier planet. Here on Earth, we like to keep things a tad more civilized."

"Right." Raspin mouthed, bowing his head in apology, "Sorry."

Immediately the youth descended to the relatively uncrowded sidewalk below, grumbling and folding his hands into his pockets. He was certain he could've pounded the smug patrolman's face in – it wouldn't have been his first time tussling with one. As much as surrender and capitulation turned his stomach, the disappoint from his Master Krillin would've been far more bitter a pill to swallow.

And so he walked to the farmer's market at a brisk pace, dodging past the throngs of colorful people from all walks of life. So many different sorts of aliens filled the streets, living in a strained harmony with the native earthlings, be they animal-hybrids or purely humanoid.

Walking with a certain aloof swagger, Raspin cut through the crowds and shortly arrived at his destination. The farmer's market was crowded as usual, thick throngs of sharp-eyed shoppers scoping out deals on the freshest produce for the best price. The sounds of friendly banter and casual bartering from voices high and low filled Raspin's ears; the sweet and hardy smells from all sorts of fruits, veggies and meats were easily caught by his twitching nose.

Raspin already knew his destination. He hustled past a stall of a portly majin slinging salted cuts of beef and an elderly namekian selling his herbal remedies, stopping before his favorite stall. Behind the counter, between rows and rows of fresh produce, a dark-violet alien with a stocky build waited with a wide grin. He bobbed his head, long and ovular like an octopus but covered with dark yellow spots all over.

"Hey, hey! Raspin! Nice to see ya, kid."

"Same here, Gala." Raspin beamed,"You're the only one in this damned city I can bargain in without having to take my anger out an

"You can always just go to a supermarket to shop, y'know." Gala laughed softly, laying his rough hands against the counter.

"Nah. As much as I hate dealing with farm boys, I don't exactly have a steady income. I've gotta be a frugal shopper." Raspin mouthed. He reached into his pack, feeling around for his wallet for payment and his small collection of capsules for storage, "Anyway, I'll take the usual, if you don't-"

Raspin paused. He could feel eyes locked on his back; and although it was barely readable among the crowd gathered around, he could at last noticed a singular one having been behind him for a good bit.

Gala looked puzzled, the seriousness on the younger man's face not something he was used to. Saying nothing, Raspin slowly towards the back of the stall. Not fully understanding anything but the urgency in Raspin's dark eyes, Gala nodded in turn and crept back into the depths of his stall, trying to act inconspicuous as possible.

Raspin slowly turned on his heel, spotting some skinny man of around his age staring at him. Messy, light-blue hair fell all around his ears and the back of his neck. The stalker dressed casually in a worn black t-shirt and baggy sweatpants. For whatever odd reason, he wore a stained lab coat over all of it. Raspin could only guess he was some kind of oddball scientist. Raspin snarled against his better judgment. He didn't have most sterling opinion of eggheads in lab coats.

"The hell do you want with me?"

The scientist took a moment to readjust his glasses, smirking and stepping forward as he did so.

"Hello there, friend. You have something I need… if you hand it over, I'd be willing to reimburse you appropriately. Interested?"

In that single moment, time froze for Raspin. His mind zipped for any answer to why this unkempt geek would target him specifically. It couldn't have been money; surely there would've been more appealing targets. He didn't hold much of value on his person, and there wasn't much in his pack worth pilfering. Then, something snapped in in the young fighter's mind. He remembered the smooth, orange, glimmering little ball he always kept in his pack's very back pocket. His good luck charm; the greatest gift his master ever bestowed upon him.

His four-star dragon ball.

Raspin didn't know exactly how the scientist knew he had it, but he had no doubt thats what the four-eyed man was after. Raspin's grimace grew as hard and cold as a glacier.

"Fuck off, you stupid mouth breather. You'll get my dragon ball over my cold, dead body."

The geek's thinly-veiled amiable nature shattered in an instant. His thin shoulders arced, and his pasty skin flushed an angry pink color.

"Watch your mouth, punk! I'm the greatest genius this side of the cosmos, and I won't be talked down to."

"That right? Well, if you don't buzz off in the next five second, I'll kick your smug ass to the _other side_ of the cosmos. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a challenge, and one I'm eager to accept." the scientist snickered, tucking his hands into his coat's pockets "Lets take this outside of town so we can settle this without randos getting in the way."

"Good idea. Don't want to traumatize any kids or geezers after they see what I'm about to do to you."

Smirking all the while, the smug scientist pulled out a capsule, which he promptly lobbed at the ground. What was summoned from the puff of smoke was a high-end hoverbike, painted a bold electric blue. While the crowd of bargain hunters flowing around them had thinned, there were still enough people to let out nervous mutterings and bound away as the bike appeared.

Their insults and taunts were traded. The arrogant geek mounted his bike and took to the sky, Raspin flying not far behind him, not giving enough of a damn to heed the Galatic Patrolman's warnings against flight in city limits.

* * *

The hoverbike's gentle hum and the rush of wind filled in what would've been a tense silence between the two men. They flew deeper into Mount Paozu, leaving the concrete and steel of city behind in favor of serene landscape. Over bamboo forests and gentle streams they flew, until the gray towers of the city were nothing but thin fingers sprinkled along the horizon. The fact that the sweeping wave of pollution hadn't yet claimed the mountains filled Raspin with some small measure of hope for the future, but his mind was more focuses on the incoming fight.

Raspin hummed under his breath. He stared at the scientist's coat as it flapped violently in the rush of the wind. Briefly, he wondered just what the scientist was going to pull. His ki was absolutely pathetic, he was using a jetbike instead of flying, and his unimpressive build suggested his diet constituted more energy drinks and quick snacks than water and hearty meals. If he was hiding his ki, he would be the greatest master of concealment Raspin had every come across.

Somehow, he doubted that was the case. More likely, he was hiding some kind of bomb or blaster in that coat. Most of the weaponry sold to civilians wouldn't do much harm to him at this point in his training, but there was always the possibility the scrawny fellow could've smuggled weapons off planet or built some of his own.

Either way, something about the situation unnerved him. He rushed headlong into the fight, and he was somewhat glad that their trip away from civilization gave him time to think and compose himself. If it was some sort of trap, Raspin was afraid he could have very well taken the bait in the heat of the moment. The hoverbike dipped in velocity and vertically. It landed in a craggy canyon, and Raspin followed without trepidation.

Raspin's feet touched the ground as the scientist threw himself from his bike, returning it into a capsule and tucking it back into his labcoat. As he returned it, he drew another from the same pocket. He clicked down on the trigger, but hesitated to throw it.

"Ah," he gasped, a sudden realization dawning on him, "Silly me. We haven't even introduced ourselves."

Raspin stayed silent for a moment, not willing to give out his name to the pompous ass. But as almost half a minute past with the just the bastard smiling expectantly, Raspin realized that they wouldn't be going anywhere without trading names. He tossed his bag to the side, stepping forward with a thumb forked against his chest.

"Its Raspin."

"And I," he roared boisterously, raising the capsule in the air, "...am Corset Briefs, the heir to the Capsule Corporation and the greatest genius in history!"

Corest slammed his capsule to his feet, and it was only then that Raspin realized it wasn't any normal capsule. In addition to the usual inane puff of smoke, an intense white light flashed in the center of the cloud.

Raspin watched in awe as the fog cleared. First, he saw the legs – smooth gray metal, backwards jointed and three-toed just like the legs of a tyrannosaur. Then the fog dissipated around the arms, or more accurately, the heavy weapons taking their place. One was a heavy gatling gun, the other a nasty-looking missile launcher with three loaded barrels.

Lastly, the smoke cleared from around the round body, and the light faded. There wasn't a head, only a cockpit set right at the center. And standing triumphantly from the seat was the smug scientist. Before Raspin could act on any smart ideas on blasting him right out of the mech, Corset hopped in and let it's emerald windscreen slam shut, sealing him safely in the cockpit.

"And this is my masterpiece, the Titan Slayer Mk III!"

Slack-jawed, Raspin could only stare at the towering moutain of metal for a long moment. The walking weapon tripled him in height and quadrupled him in width. While Raspin couldn't sense the artificial energy that was generated by machines, he had a sinking feeling that the hulking suit would be hard to take down.

In spite of all that, he smiled wide.

"Nice ride." Raspin laughed, shifting into his stance, "It'll be a crying shame when I send it flying all the way to the scrapyard!"

Fear, panic, hesitation. Whenever Raspin fought, he let it all melt away and allowed his excitement to run wild throughout his entire body, leaving a fiery feeling in it's wake. No matter how deadly the battle or dire the odds, he just couldn't stop himself.

Because above all else, he lived to fight.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note**_ \- _First and foremost, I'd like to thank anyone who's read this far. Secondly, don't expect too many of these. I don't typically enjoy the concept of author's notes unless I actual fell like there's something that needs to be said._

 _And so, just a bit of background of why I decided to write this. Simply put, I love all things dragon ball. Yes, I even enjoyed some parts of GT and many parts of Super. While I do think some parts of the series are stale or feel forced, I can still sit down and appreciate the series for what it is. The recent Broly movie has resparked my love for the series and made me want to publish this ancient story from the depths of my hard drive, never having been published before._

 _How long will this series last? Not sure. I just felt like telling a story about my favorite anime and sharing it with other fans. What I utterly lack in artistic ability I'll try to make up for in somewhat more gripping plots and ideas in the form of writing and keep the lovable characters and humor in tact._

 _And as for anyone curious about the numerous things I brought up in this chapter - who exactly are Raspin and Kash, how Krillin is still kicking, how the earth has changed so much since the end of Z - I'll eventually provide and answers. Just know that the story takes place roughly five-hundred years after Goku takes Uub under his wing._

 _Also, if anyone's confused to the puns of any characters names, I'd be happy to provide you the answer. Every name will bear some relevance to Toriyama's original works, so keep that in mind. Just for example, Kash is Krillin's student - Krillin's original name is a pun on chestnut, so Kash is a cashew. Please, save your applause for a pun that has at least three seconds of thought put into it._

 _Oh, and one last thing. If anyone would be willing to act as my proofreader, please contact me. I do my best to spot typos and grammatical errors, but I'm not perfect._


	2. Fight, Raspin! A Mysterious Duo Arrives!

Judging solely on looks, the mechanical giant towering before Raspin seemed impossible to topple. Gritting his teeth, all the borderline horrific trials of the Turtle School's training regimen flashed back to him, and his confident grin never faltered. He liked to consider overcoming challenges as his specialty, and at the end of the day, Corset's malefic machine would be just another stone on his path to the throne of the universe's strongest warrior.

With a mighty battle cry, he launched himself from the ground, heading right for the cockpit, his fist reared back.

The machine acted fast. Raspin wasn't sure how an untrained man like Corset could process his own speeds, but he nonetheless defensively raised the gatling gun before the cockpit. The martial artist's punch landed against the metal, and it painfully bounced off. Raspin hissed in pain, but ignored the sting and flipped away from gun. Landing a short distant away on a single foot, Raspin immediately sprung back and slammed his knee into the mech's chassis. It didn't so much as budge.

"Damn!" Raspin spat, retreating once more as the mech swung it's missile launcher in an attempt to swat him away. When Raspin landed for a second time, Corset trained his gatling gun right on the martial artist's chest.

Gasping, Raspin folded both arms before him and stood his ground. The gun's barrel spun around like a tornado, spitting out a rain of tiny, magenta energy bullets. They made no lasting damage, but Raspin couldn't have denied they stung like hell.

As he felt his defenses being chipped away and saw no break in the machine's attack, Raspin threw himself to the side, right out of the gun's path, the tightly packed earth where he had just been standing instantly chewed up by the incoming storm of energy bullets. Corset tried to place Raspin right back into the line of fire, but Raspin acted on his feet.

He flipped and jumped, weaving and flying between trees and rocks to help soak up the incoming damage. While he was still clipped by a stray bullet or two, he still avoided the brunt of the fire.

"Stay still!" Corset's voice boomed from unseen speaker's on the machine with a galvanic reverb, "I won't kill you! I'm just going to incapacitate you and take that ball of your hands!"

Raspin doubted that, but couldn't catch enough breath to toss a out a few snappy comebacks. Corset never ceased firing. A full minute passed, but the young scientist never managed to land any more clean shots. Bullet after bullet burst against the ground, leaving a plume of unset dirt lingering in the air. Raspin hid in the plume, back against a rock. The black dirt filled the air until it was against both sides of the canyon, providing more than adequate cover. He peaked his head of cover, listening carefully for the heavy stomps the machine would surely produce.

All he heard was a low, high whistle. He had watched enough classic war movies with Kash and Krillin to know what the sound was. Heart thumping against his chest, he retreated to the sky, barely dodging the missile as it imploded against the rock he had been using for cover.

A pink explosion rocked the landscape beneath him, throwing him for a loop and sending him crashing against the wall of the canyon. Bouncing off, gravity ensured he landed roughly back against the ground. Coughing and gasping, he stared up at the mecha as it swiveled to meet him, missile-launcher still smoking.

"How did you…?!"

"See you through that dust? Its called a radar, you stupid hillbilly." Corset boomed through the speakers, "Not only can I sense your energy, but I can also pick up your heat signature."

"Thanks. Now I know lowering my ki would be a moot point." Raspin said. He was grumbling, but the excitement was still pumping throughout his body, and his bright smile hadn't dimmed in the slightest, "At least, for now."

Corset put his sights back on Raspin, using his gatling to try and blast him to his knees. Raspin had already taken off, gliding along the wall of the canyon with the bullets chewing at the rock trailing just under his feet. Corset pursued, jets blasting azure fire from the mech's back as it took off after him.

"Just give up and hand over the ball!" Corset cried, Raspin flying lower to avoid his shots.

Growing tired of the charade, the young president fired his second missile. Raspin heard the projectile long before it hit. Breaking suddenly, he slammed his feet against the canyon wall, launching himself away from the blast zone. Hitting the other side of the canyon, he pin-balled himself right back at Corset. He slammed an elbow into the mech's windscreen, throwing the entire machine for a loop. As the round machine spun in the air in an attempt to right itself, it quickly brandished it's weapons back towards the martial artist, only to find he was nowhere in sight.

Gasping and gaping, Corset's quick eyes raced across his displays laid out before him. Nothing on the forward radar. Nothing on the motion. No ki readings, and no heat signatures beside's his Crusher's twin-ion engine. Corset flew his mech higher, casting his radar all over the canyon and even further beyond, but caught no sight of Raspin.

"Where the hell did you go?!"

"Take a wild guess, egghead."

Corset couldn't react fast enough. Quick-witted as he was, he barely had enough time to process Raspin's voice as coming from atop his mech before his ki radar was blaring in protest.

In just a few short moments, Raspin raised his ki from so low it blended with Corset's own readings to all the power it would take to reduce a mountain into pebbles. As his white aura flared around him, he slammed both hands against the top of the machine and released two massive orange ki beams. A blast shortly followed, and from out of the black smoke left in it's wake the mech tumbled back into the canyon, landing like a satellite knocked out of orbit. Buried halfway into the rocky earth, Raspin was free to follow up his attack.

Bastard as he was, he didn't want to murder Corset. He saw the mech's legs thrash as it free itself from it's half-burial. If it was still standing after what he just threw at it, it would certainly be sturdy enough to take his next attack - although, Raspin doubted it'd still be functional after it.

A vein on Raspin's forehead throbbed in exertion. His aura flared all the higher, and he cupped both hands together.

" _Kamehame…_ _ **HAAA!**_ "

The moment the mech unearthed itself, Raspin unleashed his full fury down into the canyon. A fierce white-blue light filled the canyon for the duration of the attack. Raspin felt resistance against the beam, and pushed down all the harder.

With a beastly roar, he mustered up every scrap of his strength and forced it outwards. He felt the resistance crumble, and a moment later, his beam detonated. The fierce blue of his attack shined up from the canyon, making it look like a blue hellscape for just a few moments. As the light faded, smoldering rock spat black clouds weakly into the air. Smiling to himself, Raspin floated down to meet the defunct mecha, still at the center of the dark smog. It was slouched over, knees bent. It's screen was cracked, and sparks shot from it's joints.

"Hmm. Sorry, Corset. That might've affected the resale value, huh?"

Silence. For all the shit the scientist talked, his precious mech breaking down was enough to shut him up. Chuckling victoriously, Raspin tapped his finger against the cockpit, like Corset was a measly goldfish in a cheap bowl.

Still, silence. It was at that point Raspin began to worry.

"H-hey! Are you okay in there?!"

All the sweet adrenaline and the high of his victory began to fade from his body. Panic and guilt began to set in. He banged his fist against the mech's round body, nervous sweat mingling with his sweat of exertion.

"Shit… no, no, no! Did I kill him?!"

His answer came at once, but offered him no relief. The machine's joints whined, spitting out a shower of sparks. Raspin jumped back in shock, but Corset still had time to slap the martial artist away with it's missile launcher. Flying back, Raspin bounced off the canyon floor and crashed into one of it's walls. He barely had time to stand before the mech was back on him, slamming him with a fierce kick. The dark-haired youth crossed his arms to defend himself, but the force of the blow sent him soaring out of the canyon.

Raspin righted himself in the air, watching as the mech recklessly pursed him, leaving a trail of black smoke in the air behind it. With gatling already spinning, Raspin was forced to retreat deeper into Mount Paozu.

The pain flared as the bullets flew. They peppered his legs and back, leaving small holes burned through his gi. Flying lower, Raspin took to weaving through a bamboo forest. The mech was right behind him, smashing through the foliage with ease.

When a bullet bit into his shoulder, Raspin was sent veering off course. He smashed through a tree, rolling down a hill before finally dunking right into a river. The cool water nipped at his skin, and he could see clouts of his own blood floating around him.

A large, carnivorous fish swarm towards him. While most would feel some measure of fear in his current situation, Raspin was just suddenly reminded of his empty belly, and wondered how the fish would taste fried up with some butter and fresh herbs. The fish underwent similar gluttonous thoughts when it saw Raspin. It dove towards him for an easy lunch, but all it succeeded in doing was to getting ripped apart by the incoming bullet storm.

Undeterred, Raspin blasted out from the water, droplets streaming from his wet hair and uniform. Of course, the mech tirelessly pursued him skyward. Gritting his teeth, he swerved out of the way to avoid Corset's charge.

"This bastard just doesn't know when to quit...!" Raspin spat in irritation, almost commending him for his determination.

Another missile came biting at Raspin's heels, and he answered in turn. He was flying straight up, very little room to evade the rocket – but another plan suddenly popped into his mind.

Slamming both palms together, he exerted his ki into the air beneath his feet, launching a kiai shockwave towards to the missile. The force failed to detonate it, but was sufficient in sending it spiraling off course.

And, just as Raspin hoped, sent it's head crashing right into it's sender. Another magenta explosion rocked Corset's mech, and it finally was sent careening back to the ground. It impacted like a meteor, snapping past the thick walls of bamboo and leaving a crater in it's wake.

Raspin breathed out a long sigh of relief, seeing the mech's limbs had snapped off in the impact. He still descended with caution, just in the case of the thing had another trick or two hidden away in it's steel body. When the metal lump made no further movement but exhaling thick smoke and bursting with oil and sparks, Raspin made his move. He jumped atop it's body, slipping his fingers under the ajar cockpit. With a grunt, he pried the thing open as easily as an oyster, fully expecting to find Corset huddled up in fear.

Instead, all he uncovered was an empty seat.

Gaping like a beached fish, Raspin ducked in to investigate where the hell the scientist had gone. All the levers, switches and radars didn't make a lick of sense to him. Fortunately, there was a cracked screen at the center of the dashboard that let him know the mech had been set to autopilot.

"Autopilot? But when did he slip out?!" Raspin demanded as if the machine would answer him, punching the screen in out of frustration. It splintered ynd went black, electric sparks crackling from it's busted frame.

It didn't make a lick of sense. How did Corset manage to slip out of the mech without him seeing? Grinding his teeth together, Raspin thought back…

Then it dawned on him. Back to when he fired his kamehameha down into the canyon, and the thick dust cloud that the attack had kicked up. Corset must've used that opportunity to slip out of his mechanical monstrosity.

It had all been a distraction. A cold drop of sweat rolled down his nose as he realized that he had been fighting the mech for a good few minutes while Corset was totally free to run off wherever he pleased.

And he had left his four-star ball just lying right there for him.

Roaring in fury, Raspin let his blistering white aura consume him. He blasted off from the cockpit, racing back towards the canyon at top speed, propelled by sheer fury.

* * *

Corset couldn't stop himself from bursting out into a stupid grin as he raced away atop his jetbike, the glimmering orange orbs in the pocket of his lab coat serving as the testimony his victory. He felt like gloating, but with no one to listen, he settled on laughing madly to himself.

He could already picture the eternal dragon rising from all seven the shimmering little orbs. He could already see the mountains of zeni that awaited him, and all that came with it - the prestige, the fame, and the women.

Something interrupted his indulgent fantasies. The glare from the afternoon sun glared past his spectacles and blinded his right eye. Grunting, he squeezed it shut. The light just grew all the more intense. When the he felt the heat rise, he knew something was wrong. He hit his breaks, just barely avoiding the incoming blast from smoking him. Thrown from his seat by the sheer force of the impact, he landed roughly a whole yard away, cradling his bruised side. Coughing and gasping, he couldn't stop the dragon balls that had rolled out of his pocket from rolling away from him.

Scooting his glasses back on his face, he crawled through the dry grass after the balls. They came to halt, and he reached out a shaky hand to scoop them back up.

His heart dropped as the black boot came crashing in front of him.

Squeaking out a pathetic cry, Corset hobbled back and stared up in horror. It wasn't the martial artist he had stolen the ball from – two familiar figures, one short and hunched and the other tall and imposing.

From out of the blinding glare of the sun, he saw there faces sneer down at him. The tall one was a majin, his gummy crimson body shaped into a stack of tight muscles. A single antenna hung in front of his sneering face, his wicked grin and cruel white eyes driving ice into Corset's soul.

"Master. I do good?" the brute grunted, giddily tugging at the black vest hung over his broad shoulders.

"Yes, Zam. You did very good."

The majin's grin stretched all the wider, far wider than anything a human could ever pull off. Cackling, he pounded two fists against his chest and danced around in a happy little circle. While the red demon was busy prancing, the second figure floated closer.

He was a shrunken creature, a cyan face crested with age. He gave his wizardly beard a few strokes and stared longingly at the dragon balls below. From the depths of his dull yellow robes, he extended a long, boney finger and flicked it into the air. On que, the two balls were enveloped by an eerie green aura, rising in the and swallowed up in the same over-sized sleeve that had produced the emaciated hand.

"Ahh, I must thank you, Corset. I'm sure my dear Zam could've reduced that machine of yours to scrap, but it was so much easier just to wait until you had wrecked it yourself. It was only a matter of time, what with that rotten attitude of yours. Not only that, but you've found a new dragon ball for me! Truly, I'm grateful."

Corset remained tight-lipped, knowing even the even the slightest of insults could've ended with Zam splattering him all across Mount Pazou as easily as jam across toast. Grinning wickedly, the wizard extended another bony hand down at him.

"The radar, if you don't mind... I'll track the rest down from here."

Without hesitation, Corset pulled out his radar, throwing it over to the wizard. He left it hovering with his mystic arts for a long moment, stroking his long beard as he telepathically activated the little gadget. Satisfied it was the real deal, he pocketed it and waved a goodbye down at Corset.

"Smart boy. You've defied my will once before, but thanks to your cooperation in this regard, I'll let your transgressions slide. However, make no mistake, boy. Don't take my kindness for weakness. If you cross me again... Zam, could you provide a demonstration?"

Zam roared joyously, directing his palm towards Corset's upturned jetbike. The majin fired off an intense red ki ray, which ripped right through the machine and left it a flaming heap of a scrapmetal.

The wizard chuckled down as he drank in Corset's horrified face. He placed a hand on his still grinning lackey's shoulder.

"Come, Zam. Let us be off. We have work to do, and there's no time to waste pissing about here-"

Bathed in ivory fire, a new fighter dove from the sky, slamming a fist right into Zam's cheek. It sent the crimson majin flying back, colliding with the wizard and sending both of them sprawling onto their backs.

"That ball is _mine_." Raspin snarled out, floating back to his feet, fist still outstretched, "If you think I'd let some pile of gum and dusty old coot take it, you'd better think harder."

Zam hopped upright. His skin couldn't have flushed any redder, but his anger was more than shown as steam blasted from small orifices all across his body, sounding not too unlike a tea-kettle. Groaning in pain, the wizard floated back into the air in turn, popping his sore spine and staring curiously at Raspin.

" A meddlesome little snot, aren't you?" the wicked wizard spat venomously, wiping the grass from off his robes.

"If nothing else," Raspin chuckled, shifting into an offensive stance, "Now give me back that dragon ball before things get messy."

"Oh, my dear, ignorant boy," the wizard sighed as if he were teacher scolding a neglectful student, folding each hand into an opposite sleeve, "Nothing in life can be accomplished without dirtying your hands a bit. Zam? Teach him a _harsh_ lesson. Pain is not something one soon forgets."

As all the more steam billowed out of Zam's body, he unleashed a roar that sent the very ground trembling. He blasted towards Raspin, who barely had time to raise up a forearm to defend himself from the incoming punch. Immediately upon impact, Raspin felt needles of pain shoot down his arm as it was shaken to the bone.

The vicious majin gave the martial artist no time to recover. Laughing like a madman, he swung his head around, smacking Raspin across the face with his antennae. As Raspin stumbled back, he just managed to catch the sight of Zam charging a blast.

Raspin sprung into the air, avoiding the burning ki and watched as it passed under his feet. He soon came to regret the lapse in focus. Quicker than his large, gooey frame would suggest, Zam zipped right above Raspin's head. Taking advantage of his odd physiology, the crimson demon wound his leg all the way around his hip twice, then just as swiftly let it unfurl. The tip of Zam's boot came right into contact with his foe's back, sending him rocketing back into the dirt.

Managing to spin himself around and land on his hands and knees, Raspin sprang up as quickly as he could. He felt Zam plant his feet right behind him. Acting fast, Raspin ducked under a powerful chop aimed right at his neck. Still crouched, Raspin slammed a kick right into the majin's left ankle. It caved in, throwing Zam off balance.

The martial artist didn't waste the opportunity. He straightened his back, mustering up all his strength as he let loose a flurry of vicious uppercuts right into Zam's gut. Each fist made the majin gasp and let loose a bit of spittle, and every time Raspin cocked his fist back and let the other fly, he left an imprint in his wake.

Raspin finished the combo with a roundhouse right to Zam's temple, compressing both his antenna and the side of his face. Watching the majin crumble to the ground, groaning in agony, Raspin couldn't help being overcome by the high of victory.

"Heh. How'd you like that?"

Mockingly, Zam ceased his moaning and grinned up at Raspin with the undamaged side of his face.

"Can I have some more?"

Raspin's bravado was shattered almost immediately, and the look of aghast horror on his face made his whole ordeal all the sweeter to Zam.

The majin slowly trudged back up, his gooey crimson flesh popping back into it's proper place. In no time at all, his monstrous face returned to it's full terrifying glory. And as if to sprinkle further salt into Raspin's wounded pride, Zam placed his thumb into his mouth, blowing on the digit with puffed cheeks. His stomach expanded like a balloon for just a moment, but quickly deflated back to it's chiseled state, free of any of the punch marks that Raspin had left behind.

"You're... kidding me..."

Zam's wizardly master floated some distance away, but his howls of laughter rang tauntingly in Raspin's ears all the same.

"You stupid ingrate." the wizard cried, his robes flapping wildly in the afternoon winds, "That won't work on my precious Zam."

Raspin grit his teeth, starting to feel the pressure set in. Zam craned his neck to the side, grinning and bearing down on him like a crazed, starving predator about to rip into a juicy meal. Even with all the chips stacked against him, Raspin had but one thought on his mind.

"Well... this is going to make things more interesting."

"You moron!"

Raspin blinked, confused, then turned his attention to Corset, hardly realizing the scientist was still hanging around. He was hidden behind a rock some distance away, calling out with the aid of a megaphone.

"Majins are highly resistant to physical trauma! Just smacking him around like a stupid caveman won't get you anywhere!"

"Hey, why don't you get your scrawny ass out here and help me? Maybe _then_ you can start lecturing me on how to fight!"

"Like hell I will! You two neanderthals can duke it out until the cows come home!"

"Oh, screw you, four-eyes! I wouldn't even be in this mess in the first place if you hadn't stolen my dragon ball!"

Corset and Raspin began trading a long series of insults and provocations from across the fields outside of Mount Pazou. The wicked wizard only stared in disbelief. His majin lackey, on the other hand, was much less amused. He saw Raspin's lack of investment in their fight as an insult - that the martial artist thought him a weak pushover. Steam billowed from the holes along the demon's chest and head with a low whistle. He ground his fangs together, his cold white eyes starting to burn with fury.

" _ZAM IS STILL HERE, DUMBASS!_ "

The booming roar nearly knocked Raspin off his feet. Laughing sheepishly, he returned his attention to the battle at hand.

"Yeesh. Sorry, sorry..."

Still blasting steam, Zam cocked back his fist. Raspin readied himself to intercept a blast that never came. The majin threw his fist forward, his arm stretching out thanks to it's gummy, elastic structure. Even at a distance of a few yards, the knuckles connected with Raspin's cheek at full force, sending him reeling.

"S-shit!"

Zam threw himself right back into the fray the instant his arm snapped back into it's proper shape. Raspin was just as quickly back on the offensive, blasting forward and throwing a fierce, flying knee at the majin. Zam blocked with his forearm, and rebounding, Raspin and Zam exchanged a storm of earth-shaking blows.

A fierce kick to the shin and a wild haymaker from Zam knocked Raspin back, blood rushing from the corner of his mouth. He crashed into a boulder, groaning in pain as he was embedded within. Pushing himself up from the fresh gravel, he was meet by the bone-chilling site of Zam dashing towards his position, leaving a large footprint punched into the earth with every titanic stomp.

He hardly had time to think up a counterattack. If his fists didn't work, he'd have to use ki. Sitting up, he shot three burning yellows blasts at the majin, who sequentially knocked them out of the air with the most casual of ease, not even slowing in his mad dash.

He was only a few yards away, and Raspin had only the fraction of a second to react. Thinking on his feet, he charged another blast in his hand. Zam was already raising his forearm, expecting it to come flying at his face.

Instead, Raspin shot it at his own feet.

What followed was a short explosion, launching smoke, dirt, and smoking chunks of rock flying every direction. Both Corset and the wicked wizard were forced to shield themselves as the debris flew. Zam seemed no less deterred, and while nonetheless slowed a bit, he rushed into the dust cloud and slammed a punch at Raspin's position all the same.

To his overwhelming frustration, the majin felt nothing but pebbles and dirt cave underneath his knuckles. He yanked his fist out, looking in every direction to see just where the martial artist had vanished to.

" _COME OUT! COWARD!_ " Zam bellowed to the heavens. His overwhelming voice sent the dust blowing away, and made pebbles along the ground bounce up and down.

Zam's withered master was no fighter by any means, but he did have a baseline understanding of ki, and could sense the power of others well enough. He searched the battlefield as Zam went wild, randomly firing off blasts in rage, and couldn't find Raspin anywhere. His energy was still present, however. Close to Zam, and swelling rapidly.

Gaping, the wizard finally understood.

"Zam, you fool! He blasted a hole in the ground after you smacked him into the rock! He's below-"

His master's warning were lost to Zam. Like a lively zombie, Raspin burst from the ground with a blue, glowing orb cupped between his palms. The majin was too blinded by fury and frustration to react in time.

" ** _Kamehameha!_** "

Raspin practically rammed the blast into Zam's face. With a deafening boom and muted scream, Zam's entire upper body was consumed by blinding blue light. When the flash finally died down, a pair of legs and smoking waist were all that was left of the majin.

Huffing and puffing, Raspin calmly began dusting off his gi and knocking the dirt from his hair. He stared vitriolically at the wizard still floating a safe distance away, "Majins can regenerate, can't they? Get him out of here before I finish the job."

The wizard just snickered with a low wheeze, "Sorry. But that won't be enough to put Zam down."

It was only at that point did a pang of nervousness slither through Raspin's body. Zam's fangs were bore, angry veins popping up around his steam-spewing body. Zam's violent aura manifested, a dark shade of pink that danced like wisps of fire around his trembling body. Raspin jumped back, raising his guard – Zam's attention was on his master, however.

" _Master..._ _p_ _ermission to kill?_ "

The wizard snorted, beady eyes narrowing, "Fine. I have a feeling that kids gonna be a thorn in our side… just make it quick."

The violent energy was suffocating. The rage. The hate. Raspin couldn't remember the last time he had felt an energy like it – it wasn't vile and evil like some evil bastard's. It was primal. Like a wild beast. And for the first time in a long while, Raspin felt an icy chill fill his blood. Zam's back straightened, towering over Raspin, striding purposefully forward.

Raspin reacted in the only way he could. He jumped forward, throwing a fist right at Zam's face. The majin caught his wrist easily, and before Raspin could even think about pulling himself away, he was lifted into the air and brutally slammed into the ground.

Not giving Raspin a second to recover, the majin slammed his foot into Raspin's unguarded side. Several sickening snaps sounded off as the young martial artist's ribs were shattered. A hoarse cry escaped his lips, and the force of the kick sent him flying.

Zam wasn't finished yet. His great maw hung open, jaw unhinging, and with a bone-chilling roar, he fired a massive pink beam from his throat. The beam struck Raspin squarely on the chest. His screams of agony couldn't be heard over the beam's harsh buzz. It plowed him forward, only stopping and detonating when Raspin crashed into a boulder, embedding him in a smoldering pile of rubble.

"Thats what happens… when you piss Zam off." the majin rumbled, clearly pleased with himself.

Corset, knees clattering together, stayed firmly planted out of sight, praying to whatever god would listen to spare him.

Looking relieved the entire affair had been sorted, the wizardly geezer floated over to Zam, laying a bony hand on the majin's shoulder, "Alright, Zam. Exemplary work. Come, lets find the rest of those balls."

Zam snorted, staring towards Corset's obvious hiding spot, "Master. What about the weakling? The chicken?"

"Just leave him… he's no threat. Not anymore."

Corset heard the wind rush as the two took off to parts unknown. Still, it took him a good fifteen minutes to muster the backbone to even check. When he finally did and saw the coast was clear, he breathed the heaviest sigh of relief his lungs could manage. Crawling out from behind his rock, Corset stared at the smoking pile of rubble that served as Raspin's early grave.

The young president couldn't help but felt a bitter guilt for dragging the poor, dead bastard into his wild dragon ball hunt. He never intended for anyone to end up dead. While he had no time to loose, he still felt that he should've at least gave Raspin a proper burial. Hustling over, to the body, he could only stare blankly down at it.

Raspin's top had been almost completely blown off, the knees of his pants scrapped into tatters. His head was buried in rock, with some wild tufts of hair poking out from between the loose bits. His body, caked in burns and bruises, was still smoking from the blast Zam sent his way.

"Ah, shit." Corset grumbled, half out of disgust, half out of pity. He quickly struck a cigarette and took a long drag to calm his nerves. After his hands were somewhat steadied, he reached down to brush away the rubble over Raspin's face.

He nearly shat his sweatpants when the supposed cadaver's own hand shot up in turn, seizing him by the wrist. Yelping, Corset accidentally swallowed his cigarette and began coughing up puffs of smoke. Still caught by the wrist, he could only watch in horror as Raspin's bloodied, scowling face rose from the shattered stone.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't grind you into a pulp, four-eyes."

"H-h-h-how about you still need your dragon ball back, and those psychos nabbed my radar?!"

Sourly, Raspin released his grip on Corset's wrist as he was still trying to pull himself away. The scientist stumbled back, landing roughly on ass. Still injured, Raspin struggled back to his feet, cradling his fractured rib-cage.

"You could've killed me with that stupid mech, y'know."

"It wouldn't have killed you. Those bullets and missiles were automatically adjusted to match your power level so they'd just knock you out. And like I said, I was doing it for your own protection." Corset spat, getting back to his feet, "Those two asshats are after the dragon balls, just like me. And you witnessed it first hand, didn't you? They don't have as many qualms about killing as I do."

"I could've handled that majin bastard if I was fresh." Raspin protested.

Corset looked far from convinced, "Could you now? Even if that was true, would you be able to stop the majin's master afterwards? We have no idea how strong his magic is, but its gotta be considerable if he's able to control that Zam monster. He's much more brutal than any of the majins I've met."

Raspin stayed silent for a long moment, lost on what to do. Even more than the pain racking his body, his heart stung at both the taste of defeat and the agony of loss.

"I don't give a shit about any eternal dragon or magic wish. My Master Krillin took me in and raised me like his own son... that four-star ball was something important to him, and he entrusted it to me. I won't be able to face him again, knowing that I let get nicked by evil bastards like those two..."

"... look, I'm sorry I attacked you. I just really, _really_ needed that ball, and I didn't have much time to get it. I'll readily admit it; my wish is far from altruistic. But I can't imagine whatever those guys have cooking up would be any better."

"Are you making a proposal?"

"Well, you did destroy my mech. I've brought a whole bunch of weapons, but nothing to protect my body. I broke the bank on it, and you went and wrecked it." Corset grumbled out, wiping a few strands of sweaty hair from his forehead, "You want your ball back, and I want my wish. I can't get it back without any muscle, and you can't track them down without my radar. Logically, there's only one option for us to take, yeah?"

"Didn't you give that wizard dude the radar? I thought I saw you handing it over right before I jumped in."

An impish smirk crossing his lips, Corset brought the radar out of his pocket, making Raspin's heavy eyelids lift just a bit.

"That was a simple dud I constructed in the case he corners me." the scientist snickered with a heavy load of pride in his tone, "It should give him false readings, but it won't fool him forever… so, are you in or out?"

Corset extended down an open, friendly hand to Raspin, still lying defeated in the shattered stone. Grumbling with anger and pain, Raspin shakily freed himself and slapped Corset's hand away.

"We ain't gonna be all buddy-buddy about this. You help me get my ball back, and I'll help you get your stupid wish. Purely business."

The Capsule Corp president slid out of the way as Raspin stumbled forward, nearly crumbling over under the weight of his injuries.

"Hey, hey. You alright there?"

"Aside from the cracked ribs and mild concussion? Peachy." Raspin wheezed out, taking a moment to compose himself, "Now, lets hurry up and get my dragon ball back."

Afternoon sunlight raced across Corset's glasses as he pushed them further up. With the slyness in his smirk only matches by the twinkle in his eye, the scientist snickered and gingerly patted Raspin's hunched shoulder.

"I have a feeling this is the start to a fruitful partnership, my friend."

Raspin let his grimace slide ever more down his cheeks. Somehow, he doubted things would roll that smoothly.


	3. An Uneasy Slumber

Capsules always stupefied Raspin. Ever since he was a child, he was completely lost on how there was anyway someone could fit such massive objects inside such tiny devices. As he matured into a young adult, he remained just as clueless. Still, he wasn't complaining about the amazing little gadgets. Especially when Corset dashed one against the ground and summoned a hovering camper van. Hobbling after the scientist, Raspin whistled in approval, awed by it's sleek and modern design.

"Nice." Raspin coughed, the pain in his ribs still bothering him, "And here I was looking forward to sleeping under the stars for the next couple of weeks."

"Urgh," Corset looked repulsed by the mere suggestion, "What do I look like, a dog? No. Unlike you, I'm a civilized adult. I prefer to sleep in a warm bed with a roof over my head."

"Hey, don't knock it till you try it. Roughing it out for a few days might do you a bit of good-"

Raspin stopped mid sentence, a fresh rush of pain racing through his body. His lungs objected to his sass in their damaged state. Coughing up blood, he collapsed at the camper's doorway on a single knee. Grimacing, Corset aided him back to his feet.

"Yeesh. It's a miracle you're kicking. Don't worry; I also took the liberty of installing a recuperation tank."

Corset dragged Raspin towards the back, past the bunk-beds but just before they entered the restroom. There, set into the wall with a mess of tubing, was a long pod that reached would easily fit a man of Raspin's tall height sitting down.

"Easy does it," Corset chided him, letting him rest against the railing of the bunk-beds as he fiddled with the console at the pod's side, "Just a few hours in here and you'll be right as rain. Never had to use it myself, fortunately. Ever been in one?"

"Once or twice." Raspin responded lowly and with a pained wince, still clutching at his rib-cage.

"Then I don't have to waste time explaining. Get your ass in there." Corset said, his bedside manor nonexistent.

Grumbling, Raspin shuffled inside the pod, not allowing the scientist to glimpse his back. Slowly setting himself inside, he slapped on the oxygen mask and let his pained body relax into the cushioned, waterproof seat provided.

The martial artist was already expecting the low hiss before it arrived. That hiss signaled the rush of emerald fluid as it began flooding the pod's interior. Squeezing his eyes shut, Raspin breathed in the sleeping gas and pain killers mixed in with air supply and let the fluid consume his entire body.

"There we go." Corset mewled, tapping his hand against the glass, "Just take a little nap, big guy. I'll set us on course for the next ball. I'll leave you some fresh clothes in the shower room after you're all healed up."

Raspin didn't necessarily enjoy the arrogant geek talking down to him as if he were a helpless child, but he was stripped of options. Shooting Corset a weak thumbs-up, he let sleep consume him.

* * *

The drugs provided a sound sleep. They also provided relief for the pain; mended his wounds, made him stronger than ever. But they were precisely the problem. The healing solution aided his body at the grave cost of his peace of mind. It as that sickly chemical scent. It totally filled his sensitive nose, dredging up memories his mind had done it's damnedest to suppress.

Everything was dark. Soon enough, he found something had changed. He wasn't big or strong anymore. He was just a boy; a scarred little boy standing as defiantly as he dared against a monster.

The terrifying man towered over him, his stark-white lab coat and pale face making him look a terrifying phantom. The pale man's red-orange eyes burned down at the child like a death-hungry supernova.

"So… you tried to escape again, number seven?" the pale man mewled down at the boy – his jaw made no movements. It was clad in iron, a speaker set into the front echoing what he had to say with a tinny reverb.

The child Raspin swallowed down the lump of fear lodged in his throat. Cold sweat raced down his clammy skin, sticking the raggedy yellow jumpsuit to his boyish muscles. Weakly, he raised his shaky fists to show he was willing to fight. Even he could tell it was an entirely pointless gesture.

"My… my name isn't number seven, you bastard! It's Raspin!"

The malicious doctor laughed. It was deep, the reverb from his artificial jaw twisting it into a grating, bone-chilling whine and drilling it deep into Raspin's skull.

"You're designated as project number seven. And that's all you shall respond to. Understand? Or are you in need of more… _disciplinary action?"_

The doctor raised one of his pale hands, red bolts of electricity crackling along his digits. Raspin's meek cries of rebellion went still in his dry throat. He clenched his tiny fists all the tighter, and small bits of blood dripped from where his fingernails dug into his palm. Against his meek facade of bravery, his whole body went trembling.

And from behind him, his fuzzy brown tail went rigid before tucking near his waist.

Raspin reacted in the only way he knew how. Cocking back his arm, he roared and sprung towards the doctor, trying to slam his fist into the bastard's chest. Instead, the waves of pain ended up shooting through his arm. The doctor pulled out his other hand and blocked Raspin's punch with a hand of smooth metal; an artificial apparatus that quickly went on to seize the young boy the wrist.

Dragging Raspin closer, the doctor slammed his crimson electric charge into the boy's chest, his smooth coolness that a normal man would use for filing papers rather than putting down a rebellious child. Raspin cried in agony, tail rising and body violently shaking as the bolts raced throughout his being.

With the calm yet brutal efficiency that was more machine than man, the doctor slammed the smoking boy into the cool ground. He stomped atop Raspin's neck, using his artificial hand to seize the boy by the tail. Raspin's burned body went from went to rigid. His teeth clenched and eyes squeezed shut from the agony coursing through his body.

The doctor lifted him up. Raspin couldn't see, but he could smell the doctor's cheap cologne, sweat, and the stink of oil. He felt the icy metal finger prod the nasty wound burned into his chest, and he whined as even more pain wracked his body.

"It's time for your time out, number seven."

Raspin felt his head being slammed in the floor. He felt his world titter out and go dark. But he could still smell that sickly sweet medicine.

* * *

The young martial artist bolted from his nightmare with a start, hearing the helpful ding of the rejuvenation chamber as it confirmed he was in perfect physical health. The used healing solution flushed down the drain at his feet, and he watched it go with a thumping heart and wide eyes. The second the fluid was gone, the door swung open. Raspin ripped his mask off, trying to ignore the sweet stench that the medicine had left clinging to his body. He padded out of the pod, feeling even more vim and vigor fill his body, his strength back and swelling like magma under a volcano.

Taking a few short hops to wake up his sleeping legs, Raspin stumbled into the restroom, yanking off his soaked pants and boxers. Taking a quick shower, and utilizing his super-speed to quickly scrub down his body, Raspin shortly began drying off with a fluffy towel. Removing it from his hair, he was disheartened to find his mess of jet black spikes still as rebellious as ever. Batting them down as well as he could, Raspin slowly craned his neck over to his change of clothes, praying that Corset hadn't left anything that'd make a clown out of him.

A blue tank-top and black sweatpants. Plain, but he wasn't a flashy sort anyway. He slapped them on, finding them a bit tight, but figuring it was better than wearing nothing but tattered remains of his gi. The second he slipped on his fresh shirt, he felt his belly growl from underneath the thin fabric. It dawned on him that he had never got around to shopping and picking up lunch. Looking out of the camper's window, he saw nothing but a dark sky with twinkling stars rush by. He'd have to make up for his lost carbs during dinner.

Raiding the kitchen, Raspin began with several boxes of cheese-flavored snack crackers as an appetizer, washing the salty treats down with an entire jug of water. He started up several boxes of instant noodles while the pizzas were baking, shortly enjoying them with an assortment of energy drinks. Wolfing down more goodies and chugging beer in the meantime, he left the kitchen an absolute nightmare in his ravenous wake.

It was in the middle of his fifth bowl of cereal that Corset sleepily stumbled in, eyes bursting wide as he witnessed the feeding frenzy.

"Dude!"

"What?" Raspin asked, gulping down what was in his mouth.

"You're eating all of my food! Good grief, where are you even putting it all?! All this crap should've ruptured your stomach by now! I've only ever seen majins eat like this, and they can make their stomachs the size of a damn swimming pool!"

"I guess I've always been a big eater." the nonchalant Raspin chuckled, sticking a chicken leg into his mouth. Quickly, he yanked it back out, leaving the bone completely naked, "Ah, don't go crying. A fellas gotta keep himself fed to keep his strength up, right?"

Corset furiously rubbed his temples in a fruitless attempt to sooth his incoming headache, "Fine, fine. Whatever. I suppose there are stranger things out in the universe than a single man cleaning out an entire kitchen for dinner. If you're that hungry, then eat all you want. I'll have more than enough money to make up for it after I get my wish."

Raspin nearly chocked on the scrambled eggs he was shoveling down. Looking incredulity up at Corset, Raspin wagged his dirty fork at him, "Is that seriously all that you're after? Money? I thought you said you were the president of the Capsule Corporation. Shouldn't you _already_ be rolling in zeni?"

"Not necessarily," a deep sigh rumbled around in Corset's chest, "Haven't you ever heard of Capsule Corporation before today?"

Raspin's mouth was full of ham, so he wagged his head side-to-side.

"It was founded and been operated by the Briefs family for generations. For a long while, we were among the most wealthy and influential people on the planet. Hell, our founder was the one who invented capsules... though, the name should've made that bit obvious."

"Then what happened?" Raspin asked between mouthfuls of chow-mein, "Did ya'll invest in bad stocks or somethin'?"

"Not quite. See, it was my grandfather that had lost a legal battle, and the patent for our capsule technology along with it. With our secrets made public, our rival companies that hadn't produced anything but cheap knockoff brands suddenly overtook us in the market. In thirty years, Capsule Corp was no longer a household name. Now, its barely able to keep itself afloat."

"That sucks." Raspin hummed after gulping down a mouthful of fried rice. He reached for some lager to wash it down, but sadly found supply was tapped out. He waggled the empty can towards Corset rather brusquely, "Yo, ya got any more beer? Damn, you buy some good shit. Usually the watered-down piss my master and Kash buy is enough for me, but if nothing else, you've got some fine taste in-"

"Forget about the freakin' beer!" Corset roared, cherry-red in the face as he slapped the aluminum can away, "I'll buy you a damn mansion made out of kegs as long as you help me find those stupid dragon balls!"

"...yeesh. Y'know, if you were so damn eager to get the balls, you could've hired a mercenary or something."

"Like I said... I'm almost totally broke. And I've taken out so many loans I'm basically blackballed from every bank on the planet." Corset grumbled sourly, "And I don't think I could convince any merc worth his salt to come with me on the promise I'd get the money from some ancient legend. Hell, barely anyone even knows about the dragon balls. I'd probably get chucked in the loony bin for even asking around."

"Jeez, I thought you were smart. How'd you get neck deep in all these money problems?"

"I'm a mechanical prodigy... but I can't deny that business isn't exactly my forte. I'm thinking about just handing the business affairs over to a secretary or something until I can produce an heir worthy of the company."

"Well, good luck with that." Raspin chuckled after a chug of beef stew, "I can't exactly picture the ladies stampeding over to your place to get knocked up."

"W-what the hell is that supposed to mean!?"

"Nothin'." Raspin chuckled, licking his bowl clean, "Maybe I just have a crappy imagination."

Silently fuming, Corset just removed a flask from the depths of his cloak and took a few deep swigs. He pulled it away, coughing and red in the cheeks. Raspin could practically feel the anger radiating from the blue-haired geek.

"A-anyway..." Raspin began again, trying to change the subject, "Who were those guys that attacked us anyway?"

"I ran into them just a few days ago. As you might've surmised, the majin was named Zam. The wizard? He called himself Dabra."

"Menacing." Raspin sarcastically mumbled through a clump of chewed apple.

"Don't talk with your mouthful, you filthy animal." Corset scolded him, "As I was saying... my mother had always told me stories of how our family would hunt down dragon balls for wishes anytime the need arised. I'm a man of science, but researching the subject, I found there might've been a bit of truth to the stories. Using a radar I uncovered in the Briefs family vault, I tracked down a dragon ball in a pawnshop not too far away. Guess who was running it?"

"Short, ugly, purple robes?" Raspin hazarded a guess.

"Yes. It was Dabra. Apparently, he had been tracking down the balls for most of his life, but only ever found one of them. He told me he had given up the search entirely... but I doubt that was the truth. He was just waiting until someone with a reliable method of tracking them showed up for his ball."

"And you took the bait."

"Unfortunately, yes. He sicked Zam on me, and through the aid of my mech, I managed to escape with the dragon ball and radar still in hand. That would only be the beginning of my woes... the little coot started stalking me, trying to snatch my radar. I figured if I could make my wish, I'd have no further use for the radar. I'd hand it off to him, and he'd piss off."

"Aside from the fact Darba is a clearly unhinged lunatic, good plan."

"Oh, put a sock in it. Like you would've hatched some ingenious scheme."

Raspin smacked a balled fist into an open palm, and it landed with enough force to rattle the mountain of dirty dishes before him.

"Yeah, I would've... beat 'em till they pissed their pants."

Corset rolled his eyes and snorted, "Yeah, because that worked out so well for you down in the fields. Enlighten me; what would do if just bashing them like some dumb gorilla didn't work?"

A wicked grin broke across Raspin's lips, "Hit 'em harder."

"Of course." Corset muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "I think I'm starting to get a read on what kind of guy you are."

"Ah, don't worry about it. I'm sure I can handle those two now that I've got my strength back." Raspin waved away his unlikely partners concern as he stood from the table, waltzing towards the bunkbeds. Even after his long nap, his unexpected day of fighting and full belly had left Raspin ready to collapse.

"H-hey! Hold up!" Corset called after him, "Aren't you gonna clean up after yourself?"

"I mean, I do usually... but ain't you gotta a butlerbot or something to do that for me? I mean, you built that big combat suit, right?"

"Sold all of my robots to afford that suit, actually." Corset stated matter-of-factually, "This rig's autopilot is about the only AI I have left under my command... speaking of which, it should get us to the general location of the nearest ball by morning. So, please – respect my property and clean up after yourself."

Raspin wanted to make a snarky comment about how many empty cans and bottles, crumbled chip bags, and carelessly discarded cigarette butts he saw littering the cockpit. But he figured that starting up a fight with Corset would only delay the inevitable and further increase tensions between them. With a tired grumble that'd put a grizzly bear to shame, Raspin relented and put his sonic-speeds to great use, cleaning up the unsightly state he had left the kitchen in.

When he finally found the time to hit the hay, he could only curse how anticlimactic an ending it was to his otherwise turbulent day, and prayed that he wouldn't be plagued with another hazy nightmare.

* * *

Raspin couldn't rightly remember what his dream had been about. But he did remember the key details of there being a relaxing beachfront and scantily-clad waitresses serving honey-glazed ham. Unfortunately, that was all dashed away when the trumpeting wail of an airhorn blasted into his ear and dragged him back to reality. It didn't take him long to find the culprit – a dour Corset with the offending object in one hand and a half-empty mug of coffee in the other.

"Wake up, knucklehead. We've got a dragon ball to hunt down."

"Didn't have to use a freakin' airhorn..." Raspin grumbled as he tore himself from bed, strapping on his boots and grumpily stomping to the kitchen to wolf down his breakfast. After eating a dozen raw eggs for protein and slugging down a carton of orange juice to wash out the taste. Still amazed at his begrudging partner's blackhole of a stomach, Corset could only sip at his coffee and watch through the corner of his eye.

"...h-hey, you done yet? I get you like to load up on carbs, but won't eating that much make you cramp up?"

"I don't cramp easy." Raspin eased Corset, finished frying up a rough pound of bacon with his ki. Swallowing it with a few voracious bites, he patted his full stomach, and aimed his gaze towards the camper's door, eyes burning with a fresh determination, "Right. Lets get going!"

Corset set his empty mug in the dish bin, tossing his usual labcoat back over his shoulders and stepping outside. Raspin was right behind him, jumping out to admire whatever scene awaited him.

It was only until his boots met the tall, unkempt grass that Raspin finally noticed what sort of environment they had tracked the closet dragon ball to. The camper van was set atop a cliff, and down below, a dense, sprawling jungle sat in wait. From out of the massive, spiraling trees, Raspin saw colorful birds fly into the morning sky, their rich plumes standing out even in the vibrant orange of the rising sun. In the distance, he even spotted a temple at the jungle's very end, crumbling and derelict yet still carrying an aura of foreboding.

"The jungle is too thick for the van to maneuver through – and the readings on this radar aren't exact. I'd chalk it up to it's old age. We're going to have to go in on foot and find it." Corset muttered, looking to already dread the idea.

Raspin, if anything, seemed excited to start, "Don't sweat it, four-eyes. Just stick close to me and I'll make sure you don't end up some monster's lunch."

"Be still, my beating heart." Corset mouthed bitterly, sealing the camper van back into it's capsule form and jamming it back in it's case just a bit too aggressively.

Floating gently to the general area with Corset in tow, Raspin broke the tree-line and landed atop a gargantuan, blooming flower. Thick spores of pollen shot from it's bright purple leaves upon contact. Raspin hopped off before the spores hit him, landing in the grass and setting down Corset.

They looked back to the flower, shocked to see the earth around it start to crumble away. A massive toad rose from the cool underground, and it soon became apparent that the flower was growing right out of the toad's lumpy back. It croaked angrily at the boys before hopping off to parts unknown.

"...yeah, you'd better run! Get your warty ass back to your lily-pad!" Raspin cried at the beast, shaking his fist at it.

Corset wiped a few droplets from his forehead, the muggy jungle air already starting to wear him down. He pulled his radar from his pocket, checking to see the ball was within a few yards east.

"Raspin. This way – and make sure I don't get killed, will ya?"

The martial artist was still half-tempted to go and smack around the gargantuan toad just to show it who was boss. But instead, he scoffed, turning the other cheek and catching up to Corset. They hiked through the uneven terrain, Raspin having a fair easier time than Corset.

Corset swatted a fat mosquito sucking greedily at his neck, "Urgh. This is why I don't go camping."

Just as the two lowered their guard, a wild an odd beast decided that moment was the best time to strike. It sprung from the moist brush, hairy and monkey-like in it's body, but armored with hard virdian shells all around it's limbs and stomach like a beetle. It hit the ground, bounced again, four clawed arms outstretched and aimed right at the duo.

Corset promptly drew a weapon from his coat shot the thing between it's six glowing red eyes. It fell back, violet, gooey blood spilling from the hole in it's head. As the life faded from it's body, it's long, spiked tail twitched, sweeping the grass beneath it.

"Nice shot." Raspin whistled the compliment. He looked down at the bug-ape's face, it's fangs still bore into a cruel grin, having been put down so quickly it's facial muscles hadn't been given time to relax.

"Thanks." Corset said as he holstered the blaster, "Designed this little beauty myself. Practically no kickback, and it's bolts can kill anything with a power level up to five-thousand. It's powered with a miniature triple-plasmite energy cell, which I rigged with a cooling system imported from planet-"

"Think we can eat this sucker?" Raspin interrupted the droll explanation, lifting the beast up by it's tail and shaking it like a some kind of demented pendulum.

"Err… sorry, I'm stuffed. Big breakfast, y'know?"

"More for me." Raspin sung, shrugging his shoulders before tossing the fresh kill over them.

"I'd be more concerned if there were any more of those things around instead of my lunch." Corset chided him, "Honestly. We're close to the dragon ball, but that doesn't mean we should treat this like a picnic!"

"Hmm… I'm not sensing a lot of strong ki's around here… though, all the predators here could just be clever enough to suppress their energy." Raspin explained, staring off deep into the thicket, watching for any signs of movement among the canopy of leaves and tangles of vines.

"Wait… you can sense energy naturally?" Corset asked, seeming unconvinced.

With a sly smile, Raspin tapped the side of his head like he was explaining elementary math, "I guess it's not a common thing with most people. But the Turtle Style also pushes your spiritual limitations."

Scoffing, Corset reached into his labcoat, "Sorry, I think I have a bit more grounded method of sensing energy."

"And what would that be, egghead?" Raspin scoffed right back, eyebrow cocked and fist planted against his hip.

Corset produced a small white device. Raspin would've described it as a single headphone, missing it's other half and the band – Corset popped it over his ear just the same, tapping a few buttons set into the side of the device.

"And what the hell is that?"

"Its called a scouter. It's based on older models, but I've made a few modifications to it..."

With a final press, a holographic screen appeared before Corset's right eye, glowing a deep sapphire shade. He pressed another button, sights right on Raspin. The device released a string of rapid bleeps, and a smile spread across Corset's face.

"Huh. Only three-thousand… you're not as tough as I'd thought. How'd you beat my Titan Crusher again?"

Raspin's chest heaved with a deep sigh. He laid the bug-ape's corpse to the side, squaring his feet into the jungle's moist dirt, "Wanna free bit of advice? Don't trust fancy little gadgets like that to judge someone's power."

Grunting and growling, the grass around Raspin's feet began to wildly dance. Then, the trees around them bent away from him, and Corset's found himself nearly knocked off his feet by a sudden rush of wind. Small bits of debris and tufts of grass floated around his shaking body, his spiky mop of hair dancing in turn.

Then, with an echoing roar and explosion of white aura, he raised his power to it's fullest extent. It lasted only a moment, but the extent of his strength was made clear. Corset could only stare, totally aghast, his eye darting from the man standing only a few feet away and back over to his scouter's reading.

"F-f-f-fifteen-thousand…?"

The aura surrounding Raspin calmed, leaving him sporting a cocky half-smile. Settling back into a casual stance, he aimed his thumb at his chest, further demanding Corset's focus.

"Oh, is that a good number? I _have_ been training with the Turtle Hermit for a good ten years now."

"Thats… thats a bit impressive." Corset grumbled, "So you got that strong through just plain old training? No genetic modification? No drugs? No cybernetics? That's how most fighters in the galaxy power up..."

"Nope. Just push-ups, sit-ups… and plenty of juice."

The glare Corset was shooting Raspin could cut through diamonds, "Call me overly-skeptical, but I have a hunch you're leaving out a few key details there..."

Raspin grinned as brightly as the sun and moved to pick the corpse of the bug-monkey back up, "Right. Be sure to get plenty of protein to bulk up."

"Gah. Whatever. Keep your secrets, you muscle-brained dimwit. The dragon ball should be close by… be a good goon and help me find it."

Corset pulled out the radar as he said it, clicking it and running his eyes over the screen to double-check. Raspin leaned close, getting a peak for himself - and had absolutely no idea what he was looking at. Just seven little dots, three clustered together and four others scattered about.

"I don't get it." Raspin sighed, tapping his fingertip against the thick glass, "I mean, all those blinkin' lights are the balls, right?"

"What else would they be, you blockhead?" Corset sighed out in irritation, looking away from the radar to meet Raspin face-to-face.

"Yeah… but how the hell are you supposed to tell how far away they are?" Raspin shot right back, not taking a liking to the young president's tone.

"Look, all you have to do is-"

Both the boys felt a rush of wind between them. Heads jerking down at once, they found Corset's fingers gripping nothing but empty air. Watching the forest-green feathers float to their feet, the agape duo looked back up to spot a four-winged hawk soaring between the trees, radar clutched tightly in it's talons.

Sputtering, Corset had little recourse as Raspin grabbed him by the wrist and dropped their fresh kill. The martial artist's body was quickly shrouded in a flaming white aura.

"W-wait!" the scientist cried, "What do you think you're-"

"Hold on tight, four-eyes."

Corset grit his teeth, taking the other man's advice and gripping his wrist with both hands, lest his shoulder was dislocated – he knew what was coming next. Raspin took off, smashing through the trees and making short work of the thick vines twisted branches in their way. Corset could only duck his head and let the debris rush past.

The mutant hawk was ridiculously fast, but Raspin caught up to it with little trouble. Squawking in fear, the green bird spread it's four wings wide, banking hard to the right. Raspin made a lunging grab at it and just barely missed, his shoulder slamming into a thick tree and knocking it right over. He was right back on course, however, back after the bird before the tree hit the ground, the shell-shocked and grimacing Corset still clinging onto him for dear life.

As the jungle grew all the more dense, the thieving hawk still managed to weave through the foliage with the greatest of ease. Just as it came back within Raspin's line of sight, two more of the four-armed apes sprung out from above, claws and fangs bore and ready to shred into fresh prey.

Without missing a beat, Raspin used his free hand to send a blast right through the chest of the first one. If fell back to the earth, hollowing in pain and fear before the sickening crunch. The second one landed on a branch before leaping towards Raspin. But the martial artist was ready, landing a fierce backhand to the ape's cheek, snapping it's neck like a dry twig.

Raspin looked back towards the bird – all he saw was a towering venus flytrap, a dull copper in color with a single bulbous eye staring hungrily at he and Corset. He hit the breaks fast, his aura dissipating, stopping right before he landed in the plant beast's gaping maw. The sharp teeth snapped shut just before his chest.

"Shit! Shit, shit!" he swore, floating back as the massive monster took another lunging snap at him. Now looking pale as a ghost, Corset took the opportunity to climb onto Raspin's back, clinging all the tighter.

The giant plant opened it's jaws once more, spraying a jet of powerful acid at Raspin. The young fighter ascended further into the sky, feet coming to rest on a massive branch. Unfortunately, the acid ate through that tree in a matter of a second, making it tip over.

Brow furrowed, Raspin hopped from the branch, twisting in midair to dodge the beast's third attempt to swallow him whole. Corset increased his grip, one wrapped around Raspin's windpipe and the other gripping at his hair.

"H-hey! Could ya calm down a little? It's hard to focus with you wriggling around back there!"

"W-w-w-why did you even bring me, you idiot?!" Corset screamed directly into Raspin's ear, "You could've just went after the bird yourself and came back for me!"

Somewhere in the back of Raspin's mind, he admonished himself for the admittedly stupid decision. But in the forefront of his mind, he was more concerned about the duplicates of the beastly plant rising from the jungle below, thick, green saliva escaping from their needle-like teeth as they flanked him on all sides. Sparing a glance below, Raspin finally noticed all the plant monster's were actually connected to a single rooted body.

His milky-white aura burst around him once more, his muscles flooding with ki, readying himself for action. The first head tried blasting another stream of acid at him, but he dodged easily, placing his heads atop of and vaulting over the top of another head as it dove for him.

Another head spat some sort thick, sticky goop at him. Raspin bent over, and the yellow sap hit the bark behind him with a wet thud. Corset squealed rather girlishly, nearly thrown off and sent plummeting by the sudden movement.

Raspin threw himself upright, sensing two heads fly at him from either direction. A smile broke across his stony face as he spotted an opportunity to defeat the furious plant hydra. He waited until the deadly jaws nearly snatched him up, waited until he could smell the sickly sap and stench of rot on their breath – then he burst skyward, escaping their jaws, breaking through the treeline just as the two heads slammed into each other.

As the hydra was still dazed and searched for him, Raspin summoned all his power into his palm,mustering a gigantic wave of amber ki in his palm and blasting it to the forest floor. It zipped through the treetops moved past the startled heads, then slammed right into the deadly beast's body.

A short explosion followed, a chorus of shrill screeches sounding as the heads were consumed by flame. Raspin floated out of the massive black plume that quickly billowed up, waiting until the hydra's dying screams before deciding victory was his.

"Well… should probably do something about that fire."

Corset, still blue in the face, could say nothing through his chattering teeth.

Raspin floated back down into the forest, placing both palms together as he launched a massive ki at the searing flame he had kicked up. A short storm of grass and leaves later, all that was left of the creature was a pile of blackened stalks.

"Don't… don't you ever do that again..." Corset whimpered, climbing off of Raspin's back, setting foot on the burned grass.

"Great. We lost the damned bird." Raspin grumbled, staring off in the direction it was last flying, "What are we gonna do now? It's ki was puny. There's no way I'd be able to track it through a huge jungle like this."

"Bah. Damned if I know..." Corset spat, sounding totally defeated. He kicked at the grass, falling back and taking a seat atop a large root. From there, he tucked his face into his hands, seeming to mull over what options he could've possible taken from there.

Raspin seemed to be throwing around ideas in his head as well. Slowly, he squeezed his shut, focusing on the countless energies specking the jungle – then they snapped back open, a wide grin breaking across his face.

"I know! We can find some of the locals. They might have some idea of the kind of hawk it was and how to hunt it down."

"There are no locals, Raspin. What kind of maniacs would live in this muggy deathtrap?"

The martial artist shook his head to both sides, pointing north-east, "I'm feelin' some other people's ki over that way."

"And how can you tell the difference between people and animals?"

"You'd have to be able to sense ki to tell – everyone has a unique signature, and you can usually tell who someone is by feeling it out. You can even tell if someone's evil by it."

Corset chewed his lower lip. He hopped from his branch, dragging his feet through the long grass, hands tucked into his pocket and eyes towards the twisting branches tangling together high over their heads.

"Well? Whats the harm in going to check? Unless you've got a bird radar or somethin', we don't have much options. If there really is a village or something around here, only they'd know how to hunt down the damn things."

Grumbling out every curse he knew under a single annoyed huff, Corset yanked out a bent cigarette from his pocket, quickly clenching it between his teeth and lighting it up.

"Fine, fine. You win, asshole. This better not be some hoard of flesh-eating monkeys or something." Corset spat, smoke trailing from the corner of his lips with each bitter word.

Raspin couldn't help but smile as the stubborn scientist relented to his will, Tauntingly, he turned around and poked a thumb towards the back of his shirt.

"Wanna ride?"

Corset spat his cigarette to the grass. The morning dew clinging to the long blades extinguished the embers, but he stomped it into the dirt with his heel anyway, small wisps of smoke rising up from under the sole of his sneaker.

"I'll walk, thanks."


End file.
